More than 50 journalists, business leaders and fleet managers attended the event, and also took part in demonstrations on the Rockingham track's wet grip area – experiencing the benefits of ESC technology first hand.

ESC can reduce the risk of skidding by as much as 80%. This means, by having ESC as standard in all vehicles, an incredible 4,000 deaths and 100,000 injuries could be prevented every year on Europe's roads.

Addressing the business audience during the afternoon of the launch, HRH Prince Michael of Kent urged company directors and fleet managers to insist on ESC technology. He added, "Like most good inventions, ESC is simple but effective and actually costs very little. I am sure that by the time you leave today, you will be convinced that it is essential for employees and family drivers alike. You must not leave here today until you have made a pledge to choose ESC for your car and those of your families and employees."

According to research released by Bosch, the awareness of active safety systems, such as ESC, has improved in the past few years. However, in the UK, only 9% of motorists questioned were aware of ESC technology.

The ChooseESC! campaign, launched across Europe in May 2007, aims to raise the awareness of this important life-saving technology, and calls for vehicle manufacturers to consider fitting ESC to all vehicles as standard equipment.

As part of its research, Bosch has also revealed that the UK still sits low down in the European league when it comes to the fitment of ESC to new cars. Last year, only 43% of cars registered in the UK were fitted with ESC. This compares with 77% in Germany and 91% in Sweden.

Bosch is an active member of the ‘ChooseESC!' campaign across Europe and will continue to offer active safety demon- strations and support to vehicle manufacturers, dealers and vehicle fleets as part of the company's ESPerience training programme. Over the past 12 months, Bosch has not only demonstrated ESP® technology to car fleet operators across the UK, but also to van fleet managers, highlighting the recently-launched version of ESP® with load-adaptive functionality.

About ESP®
Considered as the most important safety system since the introduction of the seatbelt, ESP® was developed in 1995 by Bosch to prevent vehicles skidding in emergency situations and during road accidents.

Why is prevention of skidding so significant? Sixty per cent of fatal traffic accidents are caused by skidding – which usually happens when a driver is taken by surprise. For example, a child could run into the road or a car could suddenly change lanes ahead - and the driver begins to lose control or starts to swerve or skid across the road. Equally, skidding could be caused by slippery roads. In all these situations, ESC deploys the vehicle's individual wheel brakes to put the car back on track, and prevents it from skidding or spinning out of control.

How can consumers find out if their vehicle has ESC fitted? Most (Many) small to medium sized cars do not have ESC fitted as standard equipment, and although some manu- facturers offer it as a factory-fitted optional extra for around £400, fewer than 1% of people choose to order it. As it is not possible to fit ESC retrospectively, it is vital that anyone thinking of buying a new car checks that the model they are choosing includes ESC.

Sometimes, ESC is known by other names, such as DSC, VSA, VSC and ESP. The following web sites can help consumers identify which vehicles feature ESC as standard: http://www.euroncap.com/ or http://www.thatcham.org/.

eSafetyAware and the ChooseESC! campaign are backed by organisations including Euro NCAP, RoadSafe, FIA, the European Commission and automotive technology companies like Bosch, who are the developers and manufacturers of the safety systems.